Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Tucked within the close-knit community in Bayabas, La Trinidad, Benguet is a unique three-story building. It stands out from the rest of the landscape. Colorful banners fly on its rooftop. Totem poles adorned with animal skulls and dreamcatchers stick out to meet the cloudy Cordilleran sky. If you enter the building and take the dozens of steps to the roof, you’ll find a replica of a “dap-ay.”

The building is home to artist Jordan Mang-osan and his Roofless Arts Studio. Inside is a huge collection of his works (completed paintings and those still in progress). Down-to-earth and hospitable almost to a fault, Mang-osan welcomes his visitors with a ready smile and cups of brewed coffee.

Mang-osan is mostly well-known for his meticulously rendered solar paintings. His subjects and themes usually revolve around Cordillera landscapes, Igorot culture, Igorot public figures, and national celebrities. Adorning the walls of the studio are portraits of Whang-od, Dulag Macliing, Carrot Man, martial artists of Team Lakay, Pia Wurtzbach, Manny Pacquiao, and President Rodrigo Duterte.

Also inside the studio are Mang-osan’s work tables and the tools of his trade. Hanging on a wall at the roof are the various glass lenses he uses to create his unique art. Sitting idly nearby is a huge block of plywood featuring a yet to be completed landscape painting.

Mang-osan says that he isn’t always at his Roofless Arts Studio. Groups who want to visit will have to make an appointment to make sure that he’ll be there when they visit.

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